


every king needs his queen; every artist, his muse

by shairiru



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 06:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6227827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shairiru/pseuds/shairiru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Semi Eita is a lost artist and is in search of his muse. He gets a new roommate instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	every king needs his queen; every artist, his muse

**Author's Note:**

> Happy SemiKawa Day!!! ; v ;

 

 

Semi has been considering himself as a lost artist for months now. His muse has left him behind and his once high-spirited outlook towards his life at the College of Fine Arts has been grim. He used to be brimming with ideas and concepts. Everything had essence. Now, he’s mostly empty. 

 

It isn’t helping that his second year would start soon and his subjects will be mostly majors. Pencils and pastels would fill the gap between his fingers, the whiteness of the paper and the canvas soon to be a more staple sight before his eyes. 

 

He places his easel and sketchbook next to the window and holds a charcoal on his hand. Alone in the dorm room, he racks his brain for the smallest sliver of inspiration. Skies, stars, mountains, seas, he thinks of all sorts of images that might spark up his creativity. Still, he comes up with none. Frustrated, he throws the charcoal away towards the door–

 

“Ow!”

 

A stranger is standing on the open doorway, a bag on tow and his other hand on his forehead, rubbing the spot where Semi just hit him.

 

“Shit. I’m sorry.” He quickly retrieves the charcoal on the floor. “I didn’t mean that, I was having a problem here so...” He points vaguely to his empty sketchbook and messy bed.

 

“It’s fine. Uh, this is Room 312, right? There isn’t a sign on the door.” He scans the room, looking a little bit lost himself.

 

“Yeah, you’re in the right room. I’m Semi Eita, by the way.”

 

“Kawanishi Taichi.” Semi looks up at him and regards him with an eye of an artist. Something sparks within him, the smallest hint of an inspiration. “Nice meeting you.”

 

“Your bed is to the left. If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll try to help.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Kawanishi sets down his bag on the empty bed and lies next to it facedown. It doesn’t seem like he is to initiate a conversation, and so Semi returns to his sketchpad. He throws the charcoal in the air and catches it with his hand many times. The itch of an inspiration is still there, wanting to be let out. And so Semi leans forward and starts drawing.

 

First, a bed. Then, a bag. Lastly, a figure sleeping facedown.

 

A new muse has finally arrived.

 

-

 

Two weeks into classes and Semi has yet to have an actual conversation with Kawanishi. It isn’t as if Semi never tried to talk to him. Kawanishi, he finds out, isn’t much of a talker. He answers his questions with a few words, and most of the time, he does it in a way that wouldn’t invite continuation. The only things he knows about his new roommate is that he is a freshman in the College of Engineering and

 

It frustrates him, of course. Not only does Kawanishi obviously doesn’t want to make friends; he has also been, for some reason, the only subject Semi can draw the past few days. There are now at least half a dozen sketches of Kawanishi in his sketchbook and he makes sure his sketchbooks are never out of his sight. Semi tells himself it’s just a silly admiration. His artist self is just extra appreciative of beauty and good looks. Yes, that’s just it.

 

But still, he finds himself closing what is to be his seventh sketch of Kawanishi, shirtless as he is, and clearing his throat.

 

“Kawanishi?” 

 

Kawanishi looks up from his book. “Yes?”

 

“Do you want to get dinner? I could show you some place where you could get the cheapest prices.” It’s already 7 in the evening and Semi hasn’t really thought of getting dinner until around 8. “If you’re not busy, that is.”

 

“Ah, I’m fine. I usually skip dinner.”

 

“Isn’t that unhealthy?”

 

“I’m still surviving.” Kawanishi shrugs. “Thanks for the invitation, though.”

 

Semi leaves the room feeling a bit annoyed for being turned down. Pissed even. Just how many times does he has to extend his friendship towards him? It sucks that it has to be Kawanishi of all people who catches his eye and somehow rekindles his dying creative flame.

 

“Semi-san!”

 

Semi stops on his tracks at the sound of Kawanishi’s voice. Kawanishi has worn a shirt and is locking their room behind him. He then strides to catch up with Semi.

 

“Decided you’re hungry after all?”

 

“Yeah.” Kawanishi nods, showing him the smallest of smiles. “I’m also interested for those cheap prices.”

 

-

 

Semi has bought his second sketchpad and almost every night, he and Kawanishi eats dinner outside. It’s normal for roommates, he tells himself, making sure he doesn’t raise any false hopes within him. Kawanishi is definitely more than his looks, and it’s amazing how they got along well quickly once they started getting to know each other. He’s naturally quiet but when he gets to talking about things he liked, Semi always itched to sketch him there and then and that smile on his lips and shine in his eyes.

 

“What do you usually draw or paint?” Kawanishi asks him once. They have just gone back from dinner and Semi is already sitting on the corner of his bed with his sketchpad before him, starting to draw another image of Kawanishi that struck him earlier: he actually laughed out loud for the first time.

 

“People, most of the time.” Semi chooses his words carefully so that he may not give any hint that it is Kawanishi that he’s been drawing the past few months. It is not unusual for artists to be fixated in one subject, but if it happens to be that artist’s roommate, then that might raise a few questions.

 

“What kind of people?”

 

“Interesting ones. Those that seem to have something more than what they show people.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“So when I draw them, I can try to capture what I think is it that they’re not showing. It’s kind of like my own interpretation of their person.”

 

“I see. Seems like I’m not qualified to be a subject, huh?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m just saying I’m not an interesting person. What you see from me is what you get.”

 

_ I actually think that’s what makes you interesting,  _ Semi almost says, yet he stops himself not wanting to give himself away. He can’t comprehend how someone who inspires him would look at himself so lowly.

 

“We’re all interesting in our own ways.” He decides it is the safest thing to say. He looks at Kawanishi then. He’s already looking at his readings, but his lips are turned up to a warm smile. Semi’s heart almost stops beating.

 

“Yeah, we are.”

 

-

 

There is only so much hiding Semi can do. There is no hope of ever getting over his feelings if the one he’s fallen for basically lives in the same room as he is. He decides that he might as well tell Kawanishi how he feels so that he can stop pretending. And so that he can find a new room for the next semester. 

 

They’re out for dinner again, and since it is a Friday, they decided to explore some place they never eaten before. It’s totally normal for friends, Semi reminds himself, alongside with the “I-actually-like-you-in-a-more-than-friend-way” speech he had in mind. He might have spent over ten minutes choosing on what to wear, since a friend has told him more than once that he looks terrible in casual clothes.

 

The street is lined with many food shops and they’ve been wandering for over half an hour deciding on where to eat. Semi’s mind has been only half attentive though, his thoughts already thinking up of many scenarios on how the night could go wrong.

 

“Semi-san.”

 

“It’s alright wherever you want to eat”

 

“No, I was asking you if you’re just fine.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You look distracted. We could go back if you’re not feeling well.”

 

“No, no, I’m fine. There’s just…” Semi thinks of something to say, but the only thing in his mind is his confession. Damn it!  He’s going to say it right now, then. “You know how artists have muses who inspires them to create things?”

 

“Yeah?” Kawanishi looks confused at the sudden introduction of the topic.

 

“The thing is...you’re mine. You’ve been my muse since the day we met.” Now that he has heard his own words out loud, he actually thinks it sounds really embarrassing. He shouldn’t have said that. He shouldn’t have said that. Why the hell did he just say that?

 

Kawanishi looks at him wordlessly as if the things he has just said didn’t register. Semi shifts on his heel feeling nervous all of a sudden.  _ Say something! _

 

“Ever since you hit me with a charcoal, you mean?” Kawanishi chuckles, much to his annoyance. He punches him on the arm, pissed at his reaction. “Ow. What was that for?”

 

“I’m telling you something important here! The least you could do is not make fun of me.”

 

“I’m not making fun of you, Semi-san. I’m just...relieved, I guess. I thought it was a one-way thing.” Kawanishi looks away. “The feeling.”

 

It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off Semi’s shoulders and a warm feeling of happiness filled him. Semi takes Kawanishi’s hand on his, weaving their fingers together, calloused and warm. Kawanishi looks at their joined hands, and then up, meeting his eyes.

 

“And I’m happy too that it is not.”

 

“Will you show me your drawings of me when we get back?” Kawanishi’s eyes glint teasingly and Semi groans out loud. 

 

“Was I that obvious?”

 

“Yes, you are. It’s a good thing, actually. At least I was able to make myself presentable.”

 

“I’ll make myself less obvious next time.”

 

“You could just ask me to model for you.”

 

“You’re going to regret offering me that.”

 

They walk together with their hands joined and Semi thinks it feels much better than any pencil, or charcoal, or paintbrush, or any other hand for that matter. 

 

“Well, I’ll make sure you won’t regret choosing me.”

 

At that moment, Semi has never been so sure that this certain muse isn’t going to leave him any time soon.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based from this [post](http://auideas.tumblr.com/post/72031265821/artistau) from AU Ideas. :D And uhh *sweats* I really have no idea how to handle Semi and Kawanishi's characters ;~; I'm so sorry  
> Title is a quote from Dulce Ruby (:3


End file.
